Oltmans Construction Wins a Gold Nugget Award for Best Rehab of a Commercial/Industrial Project

WHITTIER, Calif., July 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Oltmans Construction Co., a leading U.S. industrial and commercial general contractor today announced that it has won a Gold Nugget for Best Rehab of a Commercial/Industrial Project, one of the Real Estate Industry's highest honors, for a building transformation it helped to complete for Unical Aviation, Inc., one of the world's top aviation parts and service suppliers.

"When Unical Aviation began looking for a larger home, they opted for a former 470,000 square foot Circuit City warehouse located in the City of Industry," said Jon Pennock, project manager, Oltmans Construction.  "Serving as the general contractor, Oltmans transformed the building into an inviting work environment reflecting the spirit of Unical Aviation and their employees.   Based on the conversion, Unical Aviation, Oltmans and the architect, Withee Malcolm Architects, LLP were recently awarded the Gold Nugget by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC).  The award is one of real estate industry's highest honors and marks creative achievement and excellence in land use, planning and architectural design."

As noted in the 2012 Gold Nugget Award Judges Statement, "It is a difficult proposition to retask a building of this size and personality--to overcome preconception and diminished expectation. Congratulations to the design team for taking an aggressive attitude into the battle. This out-of-the-box solution begins with the removal of excess parking to humanize the new space with landscape, as well as an appropriately scaled arrival point. The exterior establishes immediate identity and anticipation. The interiors speak to the cutting-edge spirit of the tenant, complete with the playful canting of the circulation axis adding a touch of whimsy, challenging the regimented efficiency we expect from this building type."  In addition to the Gold Nugget, Unical Aviation also received a Beautification Award from the City of Industry.

"To suit our purposes, the outdated, bare bones warehouse building required a complete reconfiguration to include a new 436,000 square foot warehouse area, 40,000 square feet of new executive office space and an additional 20,000 square feet of shops, laboratories and testing operations, a lunch room, both an exercise and game room and a designated yoga/contemplation space," said Andrew Ko, Vice President, Unical Aviation, Inc. "We chose Oltmans for this project because of its long history of successful construction projects in the area and were very pleased with their attention to detail and oversight of the renovation."

The exterior appearance of the existing building was modernized by the addition of multiple windows and a distinctive glazed entry to create a welcome atmosphere.  Excess parking was removed and replaced with open, green-space areas and the entire site was re-landscaped for visual impact and ecological sensibility.

Just inside the large, double-height atrium lobby, a koi pond and a saltwater fish tank peaks special interest, where custom free-form fiberglass mobiles seemingly swim overhead.  On the second level, simple grey walls and black flooring create a frame for multi-colored dividing walls using an array of more than 30 different color hues.  Forms, including beams that recall airplane wings, provide a lively backdrop for the efficient workstations and add to the client's eclectic art collection.

About Oltmans Construction Co.

Oltmans is a leading U.S. general contractor providing quality services and sustainable solutions for its customers.  Founded in 1932, the company is based in Whittier, California. Oltmans specializes in constructing warehouse distribution centers, office buildings, worship centers, interior tenant improvements, retrofitting existing buildings and renewable energy projects.  For additional information about Oltmans Construction Co., please visit our website at www.oltmans.com.  Follow Oltmans on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OltmansConstCo.

About Unical Aviation, Inc.

Unical Aviation is a leading aftermarket parts and service supplier serving the aviation industry.  Established in 1990, it has an extensive inventory in excess of 1 million line items totaling over 38 million parts covering avionics, rotables, engine parts, APU's, accessories and expendables.  Unical serves over 2,500 clients world-wide including commercial airlines, MRO's, OEM's and other re-distributors. 

About the Gold Nugget Awards

The Gold Nugget Awards program is the premiere event of the annual Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC). The oldest and largest program of its kind, Gold Nuggets honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.  Entries come from 14 Western states and internationally. Gold Nugget winners share one common denominator: excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.

SOURCE Oltmans Construction Co.